Many people look forward to retirement after spending years struggling through the daily grind. Unfortunately, a growing number of Americans may have to wait even longer to make their grand exit from the workforce. Although the average retirement age in the U.S. is just 63, according to a recent study by human resources consulting firm Willis Towers Watson, almost a quarter of Americans believe they won't be able to retire until age 70 or older. Worse yet, 5% are convinced they'll never be able to retire at all.

Even workers who plan to retire at 65 aren't so sure of themselves. Those surveyed admit that, while they'd like to retire at 65, they think there's a 50% chance they'll wind up working until 70.

So why all the negativity? A lot has to do with insufficient savings. With Social Security only designed to replace about 40% of the average American's pre-retirement income, most of us have to save independently to ensure a reasonably comfortable retirement.

Yet an almost frightening one-third of Americans, many of whom are 55 and over, admit to having absolutely no retirement savings whatsoever.

I don't plan on fully retiring until I have to. Money has nothing to do with it. I wasn't even going to take SocSec until 70, when I was forced to, until Mrs. Midget forced me to at 63. (Partly because my son is 17 and he gets something until he graduates high school.) Even so, I work. Not so much for the money (I wouldn't work for free, mind you). But to keep moving, to keep committed to being someplace to do something, to have obligations.

My wife credits me with making a lot of smart moves that have us in the position neither of us have to work to get by. The truth is, I did. But not because I made smart moves on purpose. If I'd planned it things would have been different. I probably would've done a lot of dumb moves instead. And have to work until I'm 90, then scrape by after that.

I could fully retire now. But why would I? My wife has tried to talk me into it a few times already and I explain (always very nicely, of course) that it's out of the question.